Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics

The publication Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics 2002, released today, contains 73 data tables on topics ranging from Canada's physiography and climate to production and consumption of primary energy resources.

These tables update data in the more extensive compendium, Human activity and the environment, which is published every five years. The fifth edition was released on June 29, 2000.

According to the feature article in this new update, "Air quality in Canada," the focus of capital investment of businesses in pollution prevention, abatement and control shifted from substances released to surface waters to those emitted to air from 1994 to 1998.

In 1998, almost 55% of these capital investments were directed toward preventing or abating substances emitted to air, compared with just over 30% in 1994. In contrast, capital expenditures of businesses directed at reducing substances released to surface waters fell from a peak of 55% in 1995 to 21% in 1998.

In 1998, Canadian businesses earned $527.3 million from air pollution control goods and services. Pollution control systems and equipment generated the vast majority of this total, about $460.0 million in revenues.

According to other data updated for this annual report, the waste management industry disposed of about 23.1 million metric tonnes of non-hazardous solid waste in 2000, up 11% from 1998. Per capita, each person disposed of an average of 0.75 tonnes of solid waste in 2000, compared with 0.69 tonnes in 1998.

In the 1990s, the Canadian government increased expenditures on forest protection by more than one-third, to $561.9 million. However, government spending on silviculture declined to $218.8 million by 1999, less than half of what it had been in 1990.

From 1981 to 1999, thermal-electric power stations more than doubled their use of sub-bituminous coal, lignite and natural gas.

Per capita consumption of energy increased 5.5% in Canada during the 1990s. However, the amount of energy required to produce one dollar of economic output actually declined.

On a per capita basis, each Canadian in 1990 consumed just over 333 gigajoules of energy. By 2000, per capita consumption had increased to more than 351 gigajoules. A 30-litre gasoline fill-up contains about one gigajoule of energy.

Energy consumption for every dollar of inflation-adjusted gross domestic product - a measure of the energy intensity of the economy - declined during the decade.

Information on methods and data quality available in the Integrated Meta Data Base: survey numbers, including related surveys, 1209, 1736, 1903 and 2009.

Human activity and the environment: Annual statistics 2002 (16-201-XIE, $10; 16-201-XPE, $40, including CD-ROM) is now available.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Murray Cameron (613-951-3740; fax: 613-951-0634, murray.cameron@statcan.gc.ca), Environment Accounts and Statistics Division.